Remuneration
by Akiko Keeper of Sheep
Summary: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster." :Nietzsche:...But what is a monster?


Remuneration

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By: Akiko, Keeper of Sheep

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"_He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster."_

_~Friederich Nietzsche_

He shouldn't have done it.

Power Rangers were superheroes, not vigilantes. Zordon had been very specific about that when the Rangers had insisted that they should step in during a spree of home invasions. But no, it wasn't for them to get involved in such goings-on. Superheroes fought super villains, Zordon had stated. Leave the regular villains to the regular heroes. Never mind that the string of break-ins had ended in the rape and murder of a woman and her daughter. Never mind that it had taken the police more than a year to find the perpetrator and punish him.

It wasn't their problem.

Beyond the legal dilemma was the moral dilemma. Rangers were never supposed to use their powers against humans. It went against everything they stood for - the Power was to protect humans, not hurt them.

As the shadowed figure scaled the fire escape in silence, he pondered this.

What makes a person 'human'?

He knew the rational answer was 'genetics', but was that the right answer or the easy answer? And if he was right, and who you are is what makes you 'human' rather than what you are, where does 'human' end and 'monster' begin?

Despite his slick hands, the cloaked man made short work of the climb to the roof. He could feel his pulse pounding right down to his toes. He was so close to the answer, so close to the end of this mess. Dark eyes scanned the rooftop to his left, and in a flurry of motility, he bounded across the gap between. The night air tugged at his clothing as though struggling to impede him as much as possible. He paid the grasping fingers of the wind no mind. He needed to finish this, for himself, for the world…

For her.

He picked up the pace. Dawn would break over the dissolute city soon, and he would have no more chances once that happened. They would be coming for him, and he knew that this was the last time in a long time that he would have the opportunity to make this right.

When he'd first heard about what had happened, he had been overwhelmed with shock. It wasn't possible, after all. She was a _Power Ranger_. How could something like that have happened to a _Power Ranger_? They were the good guys, the soldiers of the Light - they saved other people from bad things, then they all celebrated at the end of the day with smoothies and laughter and warm friendship. How had this happened?

The shock wore off quickly, and his blood had begun to boil. Rage, righteous fury had filled his every vein, seeping from his skin so that all those around him were forced to retreat. No one had been stupid enough to get close to him.

At least, not until they realized what he'd intended to do.

They had all tried to talk him out of it. Let others handle it, they said. Justice will be served, they said. But he didn't want _justice_. Justice was a petty thing, doled out from on high by supposedly moral people as though it solved anything. It was a lie, a pretence to help people sleep at night. It didn't fix things, didn't erase things, didn't make things _right_.

He was learning that there was a big difference between 'just' and 'right'.

This was the place. Creeping to the edge of the rooftop, he eased himself over and began making his way down to the darkened window. Third down, fourth to the right. It was gaping wide, as though providence was inviting him to exact vengeance.

Yes. Justice was useless now. Vengeance was what was needed.

This was the last stop. This was the last piece of the puzzle. After this, he would know.

The…_person_ he sought was fast asleep. His hidey-hole stank of filth and decay, and the hooded man couldn't help but think that it reflected the state of his soul. If he had one.

It was over quickly. One swipe of the blade and vengeance was delivered. He stood, watching the crimson blood drip onto the grimy, faded carpet. The sound was familiar by now - a steady pit-pat-pit-pat that reminded him of rain on sand.

He was confused now. He had thought that after everything was finished, he would be able to understand, but there was nothing. No big reveal, no epiphany, no light bulb going off over his head. Just…nothing.

Frustrated, he made his way back to the roof, almost able to smell the dawn as the horizon lightened. Stars near the skyline to the east faded from sight as everything was tinged gray. The breeze was still cool, and he knew it would rain later. He wondered if he'd ever feel rain again.

No. They wouldn't just let him get away with it. That wouldn't be 'right' by them. It would be a very long time before he saw the open sky again.

His hands were sticky and itching now, the blood of the first man having congealed and dried. It was flaking a little, and as he rubbed his fingers together, little flecks of rusty red were carried away on the breeze. He should have been more careful, but the first had been the hardest, and he hadn't really thought about the physics of it before. Rubbing his hands together to get the worst of it off, he sighed a little to himself.

It would wash off.

Peering at the brightening skyline of downtown Angel Grove, he wondered how much longer it would take them. He wasn't too keen on waiting.

Maybe, he pondered as he sat on the edge of the building, kicking his feet a little, maybe the answer was that there wasn't an answer. Maybe 'human' was relative. After all, they would never think that what he'd done was very 'human' of him. They would no doubt think him a 'monster'. But was he really? He didn't think so - he'd done what he knew was right, even when no one else wanted to. That was all a person _could_ do, really. Wasn't it?

That was why, even though he was not keen on whatever punishment they were bound to exact on him, he didn't begrudge them any of it. They had to do what they knew was right, too.

In the end, he supposed he was happy with the way things had gone. He was glad he had been able to do this for her. He knew he'd never tell her that it was for her sake only that he'd compromised his humanity. Let her think, as they all would, that it was to protect others. Let her think it was simply his own brand of justice.

It was ironic, he supposed, that this would be the first time he'd spoken to any of them in nearly a year. Even his best friends had fallen out of touch, to the point where he'd had to find out about the whole incident on the news. He wondered if they would want to catch up at all.

Light footsteps behind him made him tilt his head slightly, the hood of his cloak falling away.

The Red Turbo Ranger stepped forward, arms crossed defensively over his chest. "You shouldn't have done it."

Shrugging, he turned to look back at the sun, just peeking over the rooftops. "Whatever you say, Tommy."

"Why," Adam whispered, pulling Justin back as the Blue Ranger tried to approach him.

He shrugged again. Birds were starting to trill, welcoming the dawn. Something in his chest eased as he powered down, the Ninjetti uniform fading into his favorite worn jeans and tee-shirt. He kicked his heels against the side of the building, leaning back on his hands as he basked in the light of the new day. Who knew when he'd next see the sun?

"Please," Tanya pleaded, "tell us why. Please."

"Power Rangers fight monsters," he answered lightly, standing and stretching before going to stand next to his former comrades. They all stared at him from behind their helmets, and he could just picture their expressions.

Disappointment, shock, disgust, grief…

"They were human," Kat insisted, her voice wavering. "They were human, Rocky."

Quirking one eyebrow, Rocky allowed Tommy to bind his hands behind his back.

"Were they?"

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Author's Note -

…I have no _fucking_ clue where this came from. I just got the idea, then I jotted it down in an hour or so. It meant to be a one-shot, but I might end up doing more pieces in this particular universe. Who knows?

The 'her' Rocky keeps mentioning…well, I have a specific 'her' in mind, but if you'd like to replace her with a different 'her' (or 'him', if that's what floats your biscuit), I have no problem with that. Keep in mind, tho, that if I add more, I may end up picking that specific 'her'.

Anyway, as always, I appreciate reviews. And please, please check out _Chaos Theory_, a loverly collaboration with my sister, Plus2-minus1-brilliance. It's under the penname Plus2Brilliance. We love reviews! *hinthint*

Let me know what you think of this, and whether or not you want more.

Peace!

Akiko

=D


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